a joint stool from a reader…

This note from Craig D touches on just why we used a joint stool as the project in our introduction to 17th-century joinery book…you only need a short section of a log. Many find it daunting to go out & secure a large oak log. But Craig says he used an “urban” white oak that had already been cut to firewood lengths. Here’s his note & stool:

Hi Peter – I thoroughly enjoyed the Joint Stool book and used the information to build this stool from an urban white oak that had been cut into long firewood logs. Quite enjoyable and very informative.

These turnings, while not like New England or English ones, begin to approach the molded and shaped forms on French chairs known as “os de mouton,” literally mutton bone. Many Louis XIII high-backed chairs have them. The analogy is not that strained. The high-backed Louis XIV chairs of 1685+ influenced high-backed Cromwellian chairs here.

OK first of all…you need a taller stump. Ergonomically speaking your back must be a’ hurtin’ pounding bent over like that. And secondly…did I just see you put that knife directly on your knee…AGAIN !!!! Geez. I’ll spare your readers the gory details but I do remember having to pause in the middle of one of your first basket making classes to drive your light headed self to the ER. And thirdly…damn…now I’ve gotta go find me an ash tree.